The Poet Fujiwara Kiyotada, from the “Narikane Version” of Thirty-six Poetic Immortals

The Poet Fujiwara Kiyotada, from the “Narikane Version” of Thirty-six Poetic Immortals

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This fragment once belonged to a long handscroll known as the “Narikane Version” because its calligraphy was attributed to the courtier-poet Taira no Narikane (died ca. 1209). It is the only portion known to be in an American collection. The poem was inscribed in small, evenly spaced letters that seldom flow into one another. Ne no hi shi ni shimetsuru nobe no hime komatsu hikade ya chiyo no kage o matamashi Don’t uproot the pine sapling in the field roped off for the Day of the Rat— wait a thousand years until it casts a long shadow! —trans. by John T. Carpenter

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Poet Fujiwara Kiyotada, from the “Narikane Version” of Thirty-six Poetic ImmortalsThe Poet Fujiwara Kiyotada, from the “Narikane Version” of Thirty-six Poetic ImmortalsThe Poet Fujiwara Kiyotada, from the “Narikane Version” of Thirty-six Poetic ImmortalsThe Poet Fujiwara Kiyotada, from the “Narikane Version” of Thirty-six Poetic ImmortalsThe Poet Fujiwara Kiyotada, from the “Narikane Version” of Thirty-six Poetic Immortals

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.